Speedsters
by LovesDragons
Summary: Barry isn't the only one who hates the Reverse Flash, Cisco does to. And even they aren't the only ones. There's someone else, someone who has followed Eobard Thawn through time to kill him. And she will not be denied.
_**This is something I had going through my head for a long time, I just thought what if Cisco also hated the Reverse Flash and then what if there's another speedster? Hope people like it. PLEASE review.**_

 _ **I own Edda but nothing else. Enjoy!**_

Red lightning lashes through the room, the blur of yellow coming to a stop in front of the man and his son. The man stood up, putting himself between his six-year old son and his brother-in-law.

"Eobard."

"Armando." The Man in Yellow held still, not even vibrating. "I would say I'm sorry, but I've been told it's rude to lie." With that he zoomed forward and shoved his hand into Armando's chest.

"NO!" Twin cries tore through the air, a son and his mother who arrived to late. Eobard turned and watched with delight as blue eyes turned from shock to deep, heart-breaking pain. They met his satisfied brown ones, and pain became hate.

"Edda. So lovely to see you sister." One hand darted out towards her son.

She was quicker, she always was. Blue and red and yellow raced through the room, crackling lightning, a speedsters' battle that broke glass and overturned furniture. The child cried out in fear and tried to leave, but the speedsters circled the room, blocking any escape.

Then Eobard threw Edda into the corner of the doorway. Bones broke in her chest and her head struck solid wall, nearly knocking her unconscious. Eobard let her drop, knowing he had barely moments before she recovered enough to fight him. He zipped to the child, who threw a block at him.

Eobard snorted as he dodged, picking up the child and zooming to the window. "Good-bye nephew." He said, and threw him out.

The child's scream pierced his ears and he turned back to his sister, broken ribs and a broken heart. "Good-bye sister." And he was gone.

The pain in her ribs was nothing compared to the pain in her heart Edda realized when she finally managed to stand. She had not eaten much today; it took far longer than it should for her to be able to stand and run outside. By than she knew her son would already be dead.

But when she reached the yard her son was sitting on the ground, shocked but alive. Lightning trembled in the air as she ran to him, pulling him to her, hugging and kissing him desperately. Tears flooded their clothes as they wept for her husband, his father.

Then she felt something in the speed force, something that was different than the feeling she got when another speedster was near. She slid into it, welcoming its familiar rush, and then yanked herself free with a gasp.

"They're going back in time." She whispered. She was more than fast enough to time travel, but it was dangerous. She had difficulty discerning dimensions and time, once she had spent a year in another dimension and missed a full year in hers. She had not been able to regain it. But her brother, when she followed him she nearly always came within a few miles, could that hold true for time travel.

Together she and her son set fire to their house, pausing only to take a photo, a stuffed bear, a paperweight, and to close Armando's eyes. He had wanted to be cremated and they honored his wish. Then she picked up her son and ran.

They found themselves on the streets of a familiar city. Edda breathed deeply and smiled; she had managed without switching dimensions. Where her brother was, she did not know.

"What will we do mama?" Her son whispered eyes still red.

"We wait Cisco." She whispered, stroking his hair. "We wait for my brother to show himself."

"And when he does?"

Her eyes were a mix of pain and hate and grieving love. "I will rip out his heart."

Δ

 **14 Years Later:**

Cisco walked through the small park near the edge of the city, enjoying the fresh air and the warmth of the sun. He was happy, but there was a flaw in his happiness, something that ate away at his good mood, something he did not want to face.

He bought two ice creams and walked to the black bench where the older woman was sitting. She smiled warmly as he handed her the cone and sat besides her. "He's awake."

Her lips curled into a smile. "Bartholomew Henry Allen." She murmured, licking her ice cream. "Soon to be known as the Flash." She nibbled her ice cream. "I never did learn his secret identity."

"I'm sure he hates that name." Cisco replied, triggering a chuckle. "Ma-"

"What worries you Cisco? I know when something's wrong."

He sighed. "You told me the particle accelerator was successful in the future, that whoever made it go wrong was likely Eobard?" A nod. "I think its Harrison Wells."

The day suddenly seemed cold, or maybe it was just the ice cream. "Keep talking."

He swallowed. "I hoped that it was someone working in the Labs, maybe they left after it exploded but, it makes the most sense. I thought I saw hunger in his eyes earlier it's just…he gave me hope. Made me feel useful."

Edda sighed. She loved her son with all her heart, but she was also used to working with isolated children and knew only to well that if a child was isolated among his peers, it could damage his self-worth more than a parent's love could raise it. Peers were to great an influence, and there were children who had grown up in loving families who were none the less shy because they had been lonely as children. And Cisco, brilliant as he was, was lonely.

"I'm sorry Cisco. But if he is my brother-"

"Then he's betrayed me twice." Cisco replied firmly. He hugged his mother tightly. "I have to get back to S.T.A.R. Labs. Won't you give me the slightest hint?"

Edda laughed. Her son knew that it would be difficult to predict anything, her brother had changed things they just needed to figure out exactly how. "Barry Allen will soon encounter a speedster's greatest limit. Prepare for it."

Cisco watched as Barry ran on his treadmill. He was proud of that invention, almost as much as he was of the speedster cuffs and the cold gun. Edda had taken one look at that and laughed; Cisco still wasn't sure why.

Δ

"Everything seems stable, why does he keep fainting?" Caitlin said frustrated. Cisco looked up as if he'd just had a great insight.

"Running uses energy right? And energy uses sugar."

Caitlin found the correct measures in an instant. "Of course. Barry! We know why you keep-" A crash. "Fainting. Oh dear."

"Well done Cisco." Dr. Wells praised. Cisco smiled and prayed he was wrong.

Δ

"He stole my cold gun!" Cisco yelled.

Edda looked up from her table. They were at her house on the outskirts of the city, she tried to avoid the main parts being fairly certain Eobard was within Central. Cisco though had an apartment not to far from the Labs. "Leonard Snart?"

"Yes-wait a second." He turned to his mother. "I thought you said he was a meta."

Edda set aside the knife she was using to chop onions. "He is. But he started with a cold gun, his abilities developed later." She frowned thoughtfully. "I wonder how that will happen."

Cisco winced. His mother was not above messing with the time line. She had become friends with the gorilla Grood, not telling him why except that she didn't want her brother getting to firm a grip on him. She had not told him the supervillain names, Cisco pulled them from his memory of their own time, though he hoped to come against one he didn't know so he could really invent a good name. "Don't shove him in a freezer or anything."

Edda laughed. "As long as he behaves." Cisco snorted. His mother stole from time to time, had been best friends with thieves, namely the Rogues. She didn't steal for money, more for excitement, and only occassonally even before she met his father. It was not something the public knew. Her definition of behaving when it came to thieves was no killing except in life or death scenarios. When later he saw a streak of blue dart away after saving Barry, he didn't say anything.

Δ

"Eiling."

"You know him?"

"He's a really nasty piece of work, caused me a good deal of trouble. He switched often between wanting to hunt metas and wanting to use them in wars. He also turned me into a porcupine and it hurt like all hells, so be careful."

Δ

"He lost his speed."

"Impossible."

"Are you sure?" Cisco whispered. He was still at the Labs, headphones in so that if any saw his lips moving they would just asume he was singing along.

"Positive. Trust me, people spent a good deal of money looking into truly eraseing metas' powers. Of course I did spend a good amount of time destorying any progress everytime I heard of that…try an electric shock and some encouragement. Very few abilities are purely physical, sometimes you just need a push. A good life-or-death situation would probably do it."

Δ

Cisco closed his eyes and prayed, for the hundredth time, that he was wrong. Playing worried about Dr. Wells wasn't hard to pretend, just redirect his worry towards the injuries from the almost certainty that Dr. Wells was the Reverse Flash and his uncle.

Cisco had a unique ability, he could speed himself through time. It had saved him when Eobard had throne him out of a window, moving so fast that everything slowed down and he was able to righted himself and land on the ground, his knees absorbing the rest of the shock. It wasn't quite the same as super-speed; his ability was more manipulating how time moved around him than actually running. It wasn't racing that increased will but speed, and he could move fast enough to move through walls. Unlike speedsters he wasn't moving fast all the time, he didn't have their metabolism or their healing, and when he did move he was far faster than them. He was to speedsters what they were to the rest of the world. Still he would rather have speed. He used electrical energy to boost himself forward, if not an outside source than his own, and this aged him. He looked late twenties, he was only twenty.

He cold see speedsters at top speed clearly, it had taken a good deal of practice to pretend he couldn't. But he had been watching the Reverse Flash from the screen, it was trickier. But he would still bet good money that Eobard Thawn had been causing a speed mirage, almost being in two places at once. His mother had been very good at them.

Cisco wasn't sure how long he could let this go on. He hadn't told his mother what he'd thought he'd seen, and he was scared. Just one more proof, one more, and he would go to his mother. This worry would eat at him till he was bone by then.

Δ

Lisa Snart unlocked the door to the safe house, letting her brother and Mick Rory enter. The three thieves sighed and thought of a meal.

"Ouch!"

It was shock more than anything that had both Mick and Len crying out, neither had seen any movement, not even the lightning that would signify the Flash. They steped inside and their faces exploded into pain.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to kidnap people?"

Leonard flicked on the light, illuminating Cisco Ramon as he sat at the end of the table. Something stopped him from speaking to quickly. This was not the kid who had faced him with a clearly fake cold gun in trembling hands to save his friend. This was someone serious, someone Len would not yet call dangerous but made him want to be wary.

"Who are you?" Lisa said with a sweet smile. The kid raised an eyebrow.

"Cisco Ramon. Your brother kidnapped my friend." He looked back to the other men. "We have a deal in mind."

"We?"

"We." Said a second voice from somewhere behind them. Mick and Lisa whipped around, Len kept his eyes on Cisco.

"Over here." The voice said. In the shadows of the room there was a figure visible only as an outline and most of a face. The voice and form were female, the eyes brilliant blue.

"Our terms are simple." Cisco said, unconcerned despite the two Snarts staring him down and a known pyromaniac holding a lighter while watching his companion. "We won't get in the way of your thieving, well aside from me calling out tips to our mutual speedy friend." The woman snorted. "As long as you stop killing."

"At least on most jobs." The woman interrupted. "I'm not about to get in the way of a little justified revenge or self defense."

"Now that would be hypocritical." Cisco muttered. He reached down "I didn't say what you'd be getting out of this."

The three's eyes were instantly drawn to the guns he laid on the table, not two but three, blue, orange, and gold.

"Three. Do I get one?"

"Of course Lisa." The woman said, white teeth flashing in a grin as Cisco tapped the smooth black weapon.

"Gold." The engineer said, pride clear in his voice. "Took me forever that one. Ice and fire, given to you with the understanding that if you ever touch any one of my friends or family again I will shoot you with these myself."

Len could see the touch of danger that had made him wary earlier. "Those are your only conditions?"

"Yes. And not killing people includes the Flash." Mick would have pouted had it not been for the heat gun before him.

"Why are you doing this?"

Cisco looked to the woman in the corner. She spoke smoothly. "These guns will come into the world any way. I'm trying to avoid the damage I can see coming were these procured another way."

"What you mean is you don't want him hurt." Lisa said nodding towards Cisco but unsure of why she had said it.

"Yes."

Lisa glanced at Len, who nodded. "It seems we have deal, Cisco and…?"

The woman stepped partly into the light. The three thieves caught a glimpse of blue with a line of electricity and the name "Lightning" before there was a familiar gust of wind and the two were gone.

Δ

Hartley walked towards the elevator of his apartment building, switching between mentally cursing Dr. Wells and cursing Cisco. If the ringing in his ears did not hurt so much, he would be impressed with the invention, but it did so he cursed Cisco and freely admitted surprise at seeing such ruthlessness from the mild-mannered man.

"Hartley Rathaway?"

Hartley turned, behind him was a tall woman with a runner's build and closely cropped brown hair. Brilliant blue eyes set in an angular face and she had phrased his name in the way people did when they wanted something to sound like a question but already knew the right answer.

"Yes?"

She smiled, sharp and all teeth. "I wanted to talk to you."

What instinct warned him he wasn't sure, but he was relieved to hear the elevator ding and he stepped smoothly inside. "I have things to do."

There was a blur of blue, a gust of wind, and she was standing inches in front of him. He took a step back and hit the wall. "I said I wanted to talk Hartley."

He nodded. "Alright." She smiled and zipped to the other side of the elevator. This time he noticed strands of blue lightning following her.

"You're a speedster."

"Yes." She replied simply. They reached his floor and Hartley led the way to his apartment. She sat down on the couch and looked at him.

"First do you have any food?" His surprise must have shone on his face because she chuckled and said "I haven't eaten in a while."

Hartley frowned but walked to the refrigerator. No point in pissing off a speedster, particularly one he knew nothing about. He pulled a half pizza out and set it on the coffee table in front of her.

"Thank you." The pizza was gone in almost and instant. "Now let's see." Unblinking blue eyes met his. "Sit down." He sat. "I hear you like chess. Personally I've always preferred games with questions. So an honest answer for an answer, how does that sound?"

Hartley was curious, and he had a feeling that she could willingly ask her questions in a way that he would enjoy far less. "I go first." She smiled but didn't speak, which he took as an invitation. "Who are you?"

"A simple question with many answers." She mused. "My name is Edda Lopez-Thawn. My brother's name is Eobard. I used to be a therapist and an occasional thief. I am a speedster and my son," She gave another sharp smile. "Well I believe you and he are already acquainted."

Hartley ran various people through his head, trying to think of anyone who looked like the woman in front of him; her question was a surprise. "Did you notice anything odd when you were around Harrison Wells?"

"His foot twitched."

It would, Hartley thought, take most people a few moments to understand that answer but she almost seemed to have been expecting it.

"Ever see him out of his chair?"

"It's my turn." She grinned at his words and he continued. "Who is your son?"

Now a chuckle. "Can't figure it out, a clever boy like you?"Hartley almost grumbled, instead his frown deepened. "Don't worry; most people don't. He looks like his father, even more like his grandmother. Not at all like me. His mind though, that's all my family." She raised an eyebrow, gave Hartley a moment to simmer in annoyance before replying. "Cisco."

Hartley blinked. "He really does look nothing like you."

"He's smarter than he lets on." The woman hummed. She pinched the leg of her pants between her fingers, fidgeting. "Another way he's like his father."

Cisco, Hartley reflected, had never mentioned his family. Someone had asked once, pushed really, and Cisco finally said that his father had been killed in front of him. It effectively ended that line of questioning. "And yes. He was on the ground when I was leaving S.T.A.R. Labs the first time."

The woman sighed and leaned back on the couch. "My son worries too much." She whispered, staring off into the distance. Abruptly she seemed to pull herself back. "You answered my earlier question, so I suppose it's your turn again."

Hartley debated for a moment then asked "Why are you involved in this?"

She raised an eyebrow. "And what is this, exactly?" Hartley didn't say anything, merely waited. She laughed. "Vague. Let's go with the short version; my brother is currently masquerading as Harrison Wells, I hate him with every fiber of my being. When I find him, I will kill me the same way he killed my husband. So you see Hartley Rathaway, you aren't the only person with the means to hurt him. I however, am the only one who knows exactly what he is."

Hartley stilled, turning her words over in her head. "When you get your revenge, can I help?"

Her smile turned dark. "It's my turn, as it is, this game's over." She stood. She loomed over Hartley, and at her next words flicker of fear shivered through him. "You hurt my son, Hartley. I was very unhappy to hear that." He reflected that this speedster was a very different sort from the Flash. "Still my family's told me to be less brutal in my vengeance. You gave him a concussion, but Cisco has a thick skull and it was minor, I can let that pass. You let him feel the ringing in your ears; I can let minor payback go. Breaking his ribs when you kicked him before you left on the other hand," Her cruel smile broadened. "Maybe I'm just violent."

The strike seemed to come out of nowhere, and Hartley felt his ribs break under her fist. The next moment she was behind him, heading to the door. "Let me deal with Wells Hartley. And be nicer to my son."

Δ

Cisco went down to the room where they had tried to capture the Reverse Flash. One last test, one last proof. It was all he needed. He would have done this a month ago, but between the Rogues, Hartley who he still liked damn it, and Ronnie he hadn't had the time.

"Oh I'm not like the Flash at all." The recording echoed before him, but the rest came from behind. "Some would say I'm the Reverse."

Cisco closed his eyes, partly in pain; partly in reflect of his own stupidity. He should have made sure Wells-Eobard couldn't monitor the machine. He turned.

"You really are quite clever Cisco." Eobard said, applauding softly. "Brilliant." He turned off the machine.

"You killed Nora Allen." Cisco said, tilting his head to the side. He put on a half smile. "Failed to get to Barry did you? She always said you had anger issues, Eobard Thawn."

"How do you know that name?" Eobard growled.

Cisco's laugh was part hysteria. "She never told me why you two hated each other so much. I hated you to, why did you have to go and be kind?"

Eobard walked forward till he was merely a foot away. "Edda is terrible at navigating time streams."

"She had help, you son of a bitch."

The movement was swift, but for the moment Cisco was faster. He avoided Eobard's hand and turned on his earpiece. "Ma!" He struck the speedster's head firmly, dazing him.

Cisco couldn't keep dodging Eobard forever. Another downside of using his own energy was that he could only do so in short bursts; if he didn't pull in more electricity soon he was dead.

He felt the hand enter his back into his heart as the first spark met his fingers. There was pain, terrible and brief, but in the last moments of his awareness Cisco felt something in the world shift.

Δ

Barry had locked up Mark Mardon and Cisco was suspicious. He knew speedsters could travel through time, and Barry was showing all the signs of someone who did not know how to hide that fact. He could only hope that whatever disater Barry had pervented from going back they would be able to deal with without more time travel.

His mother was elated to discover that Barry had managed to travel through time and even more so when the Tricksters, Time's replacement diaster, forced Barry to learn to phase through walls.

"He's growing up so fast." She cooed over dinner.

"You talk like he's a child ma."

She gave him a reproving look. "Time travel and phasing are speedster milestones Cisco. Like a child learning to walk, or having a civil dicussion over dinner with a long-time rival." She grinned wickedly and Cisco groaned. Hartley had conntacted him after meeting with his mother, something Cisco had **not** been informed of and they had talked civilly and one thing sort of led to another and they were not exactly dating and Cisco would probably like it if they were but he had no idea what Hartley thought…

He realised he was saying this all out loud when Edda laughed.

Δ

When Barry appraoched them about Dr. Wells being the Reverse Flash Cisco was delighted. He could lead them to the relization, hopefully without the ending he was remembering in his dreams. Edda was wondering if the accelerator had given him a second ability when she wasn't trying not to cry over said ending.

They were in Joe's house, and there was pizza. Caitlin was upset though, and disagreed.

"Barry's right." He said calmly, surprising everyone. "Harrisson Wells is the Reverse Flash." The pain on their faces and in his heart was less fun.

"How do you know?" Caitlin asked.

Cisco met her gaze with steady eyes. "I dreamed it. Barry altered the timeline and don't ask how I know that Barry, you won't like the full answer. In the past timeline I was looking into our meeting with the Reverse Flash. Long story short, Eobard shows up and confesses before ripping out my heart."

"Eobard?" Joe asks the same time as Caitlin cries "How can you be so calm about this?!"

"Eobard Thawn. He's a decsendent of Eddie's. And I have been perparing to meet Eobard Thawn again for a very long time Caitlin. This isn't just red vs. yellow." Cisco stood and walked towards the door. "I have things to do. But as I'm sure you need more proof, you might want to plan a trip to Starling City."

Δ

The fact that Wells had used Hannibal Bates as he did did not surprise Cisco, in fact he had been expecting it. The theif had done far worse things before they caught him including rape as Edda had discovered, and neither Ramon-Thawn objected to this disposal. Kidnapping Eddie though, while they were also not terribly surprised, annoyed them. Edda had been hoping to get to their ancestor first.

Δ

"Your anger is understandable."

Iris whipped around. "Who are you?"

"You'll find out soon enough I'm sure." The figure beckoned and Iris moved closer. They were outside of S.T.A.R. Labs near the chain-link fence, the night casting them in shadow. Iris could see that the figure was a woman with brilliant blue eyes, but little beyond that. "There are many catches to living the kind of life where your identity is best kept secret Iris West. Namely the dangers that can touch your loved ones if any are to find out. It is why they kept it from you, to keep you out of harm. It is not a ploy that works for long. It leaves the loved one, you in this case, feeling betrayed if they find out long after and unprepared for the dangers that the masked one's enemies pose. So yes they should have told you."

Iris sighed. "I just wish they agreed." The woman hummed.

"You were in the wrong on one thing, however." Iris's head jerked up. "My husband was a doctor, one who worked in emergency services and wars. He saw horrible things in that time. Some he never told me about. And there were traumas I saw that I never spoke of either. Loving someone with all your heart means that you can tell them your darkest secrets. It does not mean that they should tell you the details of their nightmares. Do you really wish to know of every case of child abuse that comes across Eddie or your father's desk?" Numbly Iris shook her head. "Offer support. Give your love to push the haunts away. But if you love Eddie, let him keep his silence when he needs to. Let him protect you from the horrors he will face again and again." She took a step back. "And Central does not deserve to know everything about the Flash, favorite color included." She walked away, and Iris was left to think.

Δ

"And just how do we know we can trust them?" Caitlin asked, gesturing towards the two Snarts.

"We don't." Cisco shrugged, walking back to his desk and sliding a drawer open. "I do happen to have a friend who can make sure we don't get turned into ice or gold though." Removing a wide strip of metal with leather cords dangling from each end he tied it around his wrist like a bracelet.

"Who?" Joe asked.

Cisco grinned. "Someone with _lightning_ fast reflexes." He directed his words to Captain Cold, who certainly seemed to get the message. The engineer wrapped a second bracelet like the first around his arm. "My friend will also make sure no one dies. Other than that," He shrugged. "No promises."

Δ

"There's something off here." Joe told Caitlin softly. "And I'm not talking about the fact that we have two thieves helping us."

"You mean that something seems up with Cisco?"

"He knew Barry traveled back in time before Barry told even me. He said he'd been waiting to meet the Reverse Flash again, that we weren't the only players in this game."

"He seems more confident lately, which normally I'd say is a good thing but it's more like he knows something we don't." Caitlin continued just as softly.

"And now there's this friend of his we don't know but Cisco trusts with such a delicate matter, I believe we can trust him but I can't help but think he doesn't feel the same." Caitlin winced, the thought of that hurt like a shard to the heart.

They arrived at Ferris Air, and Cisco got out of the truck, partly to avoid Lisa Snart's flirting, partly to speak to his mother.

Edda glanced up and shot Loenard Snart a sly grin. The thief edged closer, but the two were speaking softly and in a language he didn't know; he couldn't read their lips. He frowned. He had done a throuogh background check on Cisco Ramon, the kid had been homeschooled before going to college, a good one to. The only records he had found of the kid were from college, he had applied as the child of a single parent with no other siblings, which told Snart far less than he was comfortable with and made the kid an unknown, which made him dangerous. The woman with him Snart was even more worried about, physical features from what he could see made her being the remaining parent unlikely but not impossible, and Snart knew absolutly nothing about her save that she might be a speedster as well. It was enough to make him wary.

Snart's wariness it seemed was not enough for him to decide against releasing the metas, but if he hadn't Edda would have. She had a deepset hatred of solitary imprisonment and knew of Lian Yu. She hated none of these metas nearly enough, now or in the future, to subject them to that. Cisco had known this and agreed, though the thought of telling this lie to his friends hurt, he understood his mother's reasioning and knew that if the criminals caused to much trouble, she would come after them herself.

Next thing Cisco knew Caitlin was hitting him, shouting something about Ronnie before Joe could pull her off of him. He saw Barry battling Nimbus, the Snarts hanging off to the side with hands on their guns, and his mother watching from behind the metas, hand vibrating. He moved quickly towards the center, and when Mardon summoned ligthning, crossed his hands above his head.

Instead of hitting Barry the lightning redirected, striking the bands of silver on his wrists. They channeled the electricity into him, it rocketed through his veins, filling him with energy, making his nerves sing in delight. He loved it, the way lightning made him feel alive.

Still taking in that much electricity is exhausting, Edda was always careful of how much she gave him, and when the strike ended he fell to his knees panting and hair on end trying to catch his breath.

All seemed stunned, and there was quiet.

Then an arc of blue lightning lashed out and struck Mardon solidly in the bck, shoving him forward. Ice brust from the cold gun and froze Simmons.

Edda leaned against the opening of the truch, wearing, Cisco knew, a long coat over her Lightning suit. A grin cut her features. "Weather Wixard can't handle a little lightning?"

Cisco would have snorted if he had his breath back. His mother raised an eyebrow at Mardon daring him to stand, which he did, but Edda's threat to snap his neck kept him from doing any more. Lisa's gun was at Bivolo's head, keeping him still.

The criminals made their deal, and both Snarts gave Edda a slight nod in achknowledgement. She smirked back and raised an eyebrow at Cisco, who gave a reassuring nod of his own. Her smirk became a smile and she walked away, ignoring the others.

"Your friend didn't do much good." Joe groused when the reached the Labs.

"I said she could keep us from getting killed. We never promised anything else." Cisco replied, hopping out of the truck and heading into the Cortex to wait. It was only a few minutes.

"He's here."

Δ

"You can't fight all of us at once."

"Oh no Barry. This is going to be fun."

"I should certainly hope so."

At the new voice, the Flash, the Arrow, and Firestorm all noticed the Reverse Flash freeze. The woman who walked from behind them wore a blue suit similar to the other speedsters, with zigzags of white lightning streaking across it. The cowl covered most of her face, and from the back they couldn't see what remained. Eobard though, felt shock as hate-filled blue eyes met his.

"After all, I have been waiting for fourteen years."

Blue and yellow leapt together, leaving blue and red in their wake. The two speedsters crashed violently, but the only vigilante who could see their movements was the Flash, and he watched strikes land and fall short, saw blood gleam on suits.

They separated briefly, on opposite ends of the lot. "If I had realized you wished to join your husband and son so much, I would have sent you sooner." He taunted.

She growled low in return. "If there's a devil I'll send you to him, if not Armando will kick your ghostly ass." They leapt forward as one.

Cisco's voice came over the coms. "Barry, get everyone inside."

In a flash they were there. "What's Hartley doing here?"

"She brought him." Joe said, nodding to the screen. "No idea why."

"An explanation and moral support." Cisco said, never taking his eyes off the speedsters. "Move!" Barry pulled his fellow vigilantes to the side; Joe grabbed Caitlin and Cisco speed through time to pull Hartley away from the center of the room before the fighting speedsters came through the wall into the Cortex, lightning in their wake.

Cisco's eyes followed them without trouble; he was speeding himself through time and even a speedster's moves were slow then. He pulled the cuffs from his pocket and walked forward, savoring the motions. The lightning strike from earlier had him feeling like he could run around the world without breaking a sweat. It would take a bit of time, or a lot of speeding, before he needed another charge. He pulled his uncle away from his mother, punching him in the process, to the bed where they usually put an injured Barry and wrapped the cuffs around his wrists. In an instant the speedster stopped moving, actually gasping for breath and confused; he had never seen a blur.

To the others it happened in less than an instant, and they could only suspect Cisco because he was the first to speak, and with such familiarity.

"You should get something to eat before you fall over."

"Oh relax. I haven't fainted from hunger since I was your age." The mystery speedster teased before speeding away.

"Shall I tell you all a story?" The engineer asked the room. "In the future are there are speedsters, not one, not even two, but three. The Flash, the Reverse Flash, and Lightning."

All eyes were on Cisco, but he had eyes only for Dr. Wells. "While the Flash was clearly a vigilante and the Reverse Flash worked actively against him as his nemesis, Lightning kept herself relatively uninvolved in their fights. She has worked with thieves and heroes both, and calls both sides friends. She is the sister of the Reverse Flash, and their mutual hatred goes back to their childhood, far enough that even they can not tell you what started their fighting. In time Lightning met a doctor and they fell in love. They were married, and as a wedding present, his parents gifted them with a dozen paperweights, and gave them a new one for each anniversary until they died of cancer. Still Lightning has the potential to be as ruthless as her brother, and when her parents in their disapproval sent men to damage her husband's business and hurt his sisters and they succeeded, she ripped out their hearts."

Caitlin paled slightly. Oliver Queen winced but to an extent understood, and he was the only one who noticed when Lightning came back into the room, cowl down. Her short hair was soft brown, her face all angles, her eyes as blue as her lightning and they fixed on Cisco with love.

Cisco continued. "But the fights between the other speedsters grew more and more dangerous. When Lightning was forced to choose a side she helped the Flash, and that was the final straw for her brother. He killed her husband's sisters when they tried to imprison him and then he came after her husband."

Cisco's laugh was almost hysterical. "You didn't honestly think she'd let you get away with it did you? The woman who killed her own parents because they hurt her husband's family, do you think she'd let the man who killed him escape?"

"What is going on?!" Joe asked impatiently. Cisco and Wells remained locked in their staring contest.

"You and I have never been properly introduced." Cisco said, seemingly to all.

"Cisco Ramon." Wells whispered. The engineer nodded.

"Francisco Ramon Lopez-Thawn."

The room seemed stunned but only two recognized the name, Eobard because the kid was family and Hartley because Cisco had told him when the two agreed that they were definitely boyfriends. Edda never needed reminding.

"You ripped out my father's heart in front of me, uncle. And then you threw me out of a window and left my mother injured on the ground. And you laughed."

All were silent. They stared at Cisco with a new light in their eyes as he unburdened the secret he had kept for fourteen long years. Hartley was sad, something he had not felt on behalf of another in a very long time. Cisco had told him his story, but not with such detail. How it must have hurt, to grow to trust someone, and than realize it was the same person you had hated for over a decade.

Eobard looked at Cisco, then turned to his sister. "He really does look like Armando."

Blue lighting arced across the room and Eobard howled in pain. She blurred back to the opposite wall and dropped something large and bean-shaped into the trash can. Cisco made a face.

"That's actually extremely disgusting."

"What was that?" Ronnie asked.

"You're probably happier not knowing." Lightning replied. Cisco clapped his hands together.

"Right introductions. Barry, Caitlin, Joe, Oliver, Mr. Stein, and Ronnie, meet Edda Lopez-Thawn, also known as Lightning, also known as the Blue Bell."

There were snorts around the room and Edda groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "I hate the press. Couldn't they have just left it at Lightning?"

"And his father's sense of humor." Eobard added.

Edda's eyes flashed. This time the blue blur picked the doctor up and raced away with him. Eyes flickered expectantly to Cisco.

"She won't kill him. Not yet. I made her promise. Bit silly though, trying to make her act rashly." He said. The engineer was starting to feel tired, almost empty. Confronting his uncle at last was a relief, but draining and saddening at the same time. Now all he wanted to do was sleep without dreams.

Hartley saw this and crossed the room, wrapping one arm around Cisco and leading him into the workroom along the side where he knew there was a cot for late nights. It left everyone to wonder when the hell that had happened.

Δ

"Let me be absolutely clear." Edda growled. Her brother was locked in a cell in the pipeline, his hands still cuffed. "I want nothing more than to rip out your heart like you did to Armando. But Barry deserves answers and I promised that he would get them from you, not me."

"And how do you know I'll tell me?"

"Because you like to hurt people brother. You're a sadistic bastard and you like to watch the pain in people's eyes when they realize what you've done to hurt them. And Barry won't understand unless you tell him, and it will hurt more."

He laughed. "You know me all to well little sister." She scowled. In another time he knew she would have grumbled that they were only two years apart. "Tell me, how long have you been here?"

"Fourteen years. We arrived a little after you I think."

"Surprisingly accurate." She shrugged, unwilling to tell more. "He really does look and act a lot like his father." She tensed, visibly restraining herself. "Armando's looks mixed with his paternal grandmother's I'd say, Armando's sense of humor, his skill with mechanics on the other hand, that's all you. Shame though, that none of us seem to be able to make a calorie bar that is not disgusting." Another time she would have laughed. Eobard added. "And his father's morals. It must hurt to look at him."

Edda shook her head. "I love him to much for it to hurt." She replied softly. "For a time the good memories made me cry, but I had a child to care for. I taught him everything I knew, I raised him, and I made sure he knew never to kill unless it was absolutely unavoidable. I don't want killing to become as easy as it is for you and me."

In a way, Eobard understood. Both speedsters could be so cruel, bullied by their peers and disliked, eventually hated, by each other they were each capable for cruelty for cruelty's sake. Neither did, they found it unnecessary. No, when they were cruel, it was personal. But both had taken lives because it was simply the easiest option. Eobard had done it to Simon Stagg; Edda had stopped for love of Armando. But she would never let her son become her.

"You don't wear the locket he gave you."

"I gave it to Cisco when he went to college." Edda smiled, love shinning on her face.

"How did he pull me away?" Of this, he was incredibly curious.

Edda smiled. "I won't go into details, save to your grave. But my son is fast, brother. Faster than either one of us." There was a mother's pride in her voice, and she left.

Δ

"There is nothing I can say that will convince her not to kill him is there?" Oliver asked Cisco.

"No."

"How are you okay with that? I had not thought it was something you approved of."

Cisco raised an eyebrow. "You used to kill all the time Oliver. While you stopped, I'm not entirely sure you're one to talk." He hadn't moved from his place on the old sofa where he leaned against Hartley. "This is vengeance, pure and simple, from a hatred that has simmered for decades. And she promised to kill him after my father died, never letting go of that promise. I guess I just grew used to the idea. And I want him gone so badly. I'm not as good as Barry; I can't simply wish him locked away."

Oliver nodded once, Edda's motives were far too understandable to him. He left to speak to the others. Hartley ran his fingers through his hair.

"Are you sure?"

"Were you?"

"Yes. At the time. Now I think if I had killed him it would have haunted me for a long time."

Cisco nodded. "Ma told me that killing wasn't hard for her for long. She and Eobard, they're both distant, they will kill if they feel they have to or to take revenge. She told me that she never wanted killing to become as easy for me as it is for her."

Hartley hummed in understanding. Cisco grinned and said "But I got you out of it, so I'm not complaining too much." Hartley huffed, Cisco laughed and covered the other's mouth before he could give a retort. "Now hush I'm tired."

"As you wish." Hartley drawled and Cisco chuckled.

Δ

Eobard told Barry his story, but revised his earlier plan to offer Barry the chance to save his mother's life. Edda would never allow it, far better to hold one of Barry's friends hostage and work from that.

It may have worked too; Barry was set to run for Iris and Joe when Edda arrived on scene. The siblings ran and fought violently, each one knowing that this time only one would live.

Eddie pulled his gun from his holster. Despair and desperation made him press it to his chest, but then it was gone, and he heard bullets rattling across the floor.

"Ma is slightly faster." Cisco said clearly from behind him. "And if you do that, you won't just kill Eobard, but her, me, and on top of that the paradox will cause a black hole. So please don't." The detective nodded silently, and watched. There was nothing more he could do.

Cisco ripped the electricity from the air around the speedsters. Red, blue, and yellow, for Barry had joined the fight, struck his hands and the metal at his wrists coursing through his veins. It was more than he had ever taken in at once, and for a moment he thought he'd faint.

Edda saw her son sway from the amount of lightning he consumed before he blurred and joined the fight. Three on one was hardly fair but her brother was clever and she thought he'd struck Cisco a couple times when her son stayed in one place to long.

This needed to end, and quickly. She ran in a circle around the others, feeling the lightning course through her. It was a trick she'd perfected to the point that she could do it by waving one hand. Her brother had never managed it. She struck like a snake, blue arcing through the air and collided violently with Eobard, pushing him to the side and off balance. He slowed down slightly and pushing one last burst of speed, she ran forward and shoved her hand through his chest.

Eobard stopped vibrating instantly, his eyes wide with shock and fixed on his sister.

"Goodbye brother." Edda whispered as she ripped his heart from his chest.

Δ

Edda and Cisco walked together from S.T.A.R. Labs laughing. It was a fine day, not so cold as to need a sweater but cool and the two time travelers told jokes as they walked the couple miles to the park.

"Surprise!"

Barry had run there just in time to join the call. Cisco could only stare. They had set up a picnic for him, food, cake, presents, all the works, and his family here to share it.

His mother squeezed his hand. She understood; they had become her family to.

"Happy birthday Cisco." she whispered.

It was fun, the best birthday he'd had in years because though he loved his mother, he wanted more family, more to love. And he had found brothers in Barry, Ronnie, and even Eddie, who laughed when Edda said "I used to be late until I got fast enough to time travel", sisters in Iris and Caitlin, who smoothed her hand happily over her large stomach, uncles in Martin Stein who was trying to explain something to Joe while Clarissa watched fondly, and a lover in Hartley, who grinned at him before kissing him soundly and presenting him with a handmade X-wing that flew. Cisco laughed at the gift.

Later he looked at his mother's locket, which she had given him on his eighteenth birthday. His parents grinned up at him, holding a tiny dark-haired baby in their arms.

"He'd be overjoyed to see you now."

"I know ma." He whispered, hugging her tightly before joining the group again. Cisco had a family, and all was well.

Δ


End file.
